Chemical equilbria of nickel chloride in HCl solution at $25\;{^{\circ}C}$ were analyzed by considering chemical equilibria, mass and charge balance equations. The activity coefficients of solutes were calculated by using Bromley equation. The necessary thermodynamic properties, such as the equilibrium constant for the formation of Ni$Cl^+$ at zero ionic strength and interaction parameter, were evaluated by applying Bromley equation to the stability constant data reported in the literature. It was found that most nickel exists as $Ni^{2+}$ in HCl solution up to 5 molality HCl. The pH values of Ni$Cl_2-HCl-H_2O$ system at $25\;{^{\circ}C}$ calculated in this study agreed well with the pH values measured by employing pH meter.

Oxidation of cycloalkenes with $O_2$ promoted by heterogeneous bis(acetylacetonato) cobalt (II) complex catalyst which can be recycled has been performed under mild conditions. It was found that $\beta$-ionone, cyclohexene, 1-methylcyclohexene, and $\alpha$-ionone were efficiently oxidized with $O_2$ in the presence of Co (II) complex and butyraldehyde at $55\;{^{\circ}C}$. A simple treatment of the resulting products led to epoxides as predominant products and a small amounts of allylic oxides, the chemoselectivity for the former being 82.1 - 90.8% with a 70.6 - 98.6% substrate conversion. On the other hand, oxidation of 1-phenylcyclohexene, 1-cyclohex-1-enylethan-1-one, $\alpha$-pinene, and $\beta$-pinene gave allylic oxides as major products.

A novel carbazole functionalized bis-$\beta$-diketone type organic ligand, 1,1′-(2,6-bispyridyl)bis-3-(9-ethylcarbazole- 3-yl)-1,3-propanedione ($H_2L$) and its corresponding lanthanide complexes $Eu_2(L)_3\;and\;Tb_2(L)_3$ were successfully prepared. The ligand and complexes were characterized in detail based on FT-IR spectra, $^1H$ NMR and elemental analysis. The observed UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence properties of the complexes were investigated, it shows that the Eu(III) and Tb(III) ions can be sensitized efficiently by the ligand ($H_2L$) to some extent, in particular, the complex $Tb_2(L)_3$ exhibits a more excellent luminescence property than the Eu(III) complex. Meanwhile, the introduction of the carbazole moiety can enlarge the $\Pi$-conjugated system of the ligand and enhance the luminescent intensity of the complexes. The results show that the complexes would be used as excellent luminescent materials.

The transition structures for the epoxidations of ethylene and the disproportionations by the dioxiranes of phosphines, phosphites and sulfides were studied with density function theory methods using the Becke3LYP functional and 6-311+G(2d,p) basis set. When the dioxiranes have methyl substituents rather than hydrogen substituents, the reaction barriers ($E_{TS}$) become higher in their epoxidations of ethylene by the steric hindrance, but become lower in their disproportionations of phosphines, phosphites and sulfides, which indicates that the nature of the dioxiranes seems to be electrophilic and in their disproportionations the reaction barriers are effected both by the electrophilicity and the steric hindrance. The steric factors in the disproportionations were calculated and more bulky substituents at dioxiranes may be necessary to retard the disproportionation and to enhance the epoxidation.

Pristine and sulfur-doped (LiFe$PO_{3.98}S_{0.03}$) lithium iron phosphates were synthesized by a sol-gel method. The XRD pattern of the prepared materials suggested an orthorhombic structure with a Pnma space group and an absence of impurities. The Li/LiFe$PO_4$ or LiFe$PO_{3.98}S_{0.03}$ cells were employed for cycling studies at various temperatures (25, 50 and $60\;{^{\circ}C}$). In all cases, the Li/LiFe$PO_{3.98}S_{0.03}$ cell showed an improved performance with a stable discharge behavior of ~155 mA$hg^{-1}$. Nevertheless, pristine LiFeP$O_4$ cells presented poor discharge behavior at elevated temperatures, especially $60\;{^{\circ}C}$.

Novel polythiol materials of urethane lens series for plastic optical lens were synthesized from polyol materials via thioisouronium of thiourea with c-HCl in refluxing aqueous solution, in which polythiol material was carried out from hydrolysis of thioisouronium by ammonia water. Their structure properties were identified by EA, EI-MS, FT-IR, $^1H\;and\;^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopies and TGA. Their ophthalmic lenses as polythiourethane material were prepared by thermal curing to an injected glass mold using the evenly solutions of diisocyanates series (TDI, XDI, HDI or IPDI) with polythiols. Polythiourethane shows that the strong stretching mode for SH group of polythiol disappeared in FT-IR spectra after thermosetting polymerization. Thermal deformation starting temperature of ophthalmic lenses was determined by TMA. Ophthalmic lenses made from characteristic polythiol and diisocyanate series have transparency, colorless and good impact strength, in which thermal resistance and impact strength of ophthalmic lenses were influenced by diisocyanate series. Physical properties of ophthalmic lens have contrast thermal resistance with impact strength. The property of thermal resistance and impact strength for respective ophthalmic lenses was examined by TMA and drop ball test.

In the present study, firstly, the variations of the geometric parameters induced by different substituents on boroxine skeleton (symmetrically H, $CH_3$, Cl, F, $NO_2$ substituted boroxines) are investigated by using B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), RHF/6-31G(d,p), and MP2/6-31G(d,p) levels of the theory. The second objective is to estimate the substituent effect on the molecular aromaticity of boroxine derivatives using energetic and NICS criteria. Moreover, the effects of different theoretical levels on NICS values have been investigated in a systematic approach. Lastly, a rotational analysis has been performed to investigate the effect of rotation around the B-Me and B-$NO_2$ bonds on total energy of the system. It has been found that electron withdrawing substituents contribute the aromaticity of boroxine affirmatively. Conversely, electron donors make the system less aromatic. Also, the theoretical vibrational spectra for these boroxine derivatives are presented and compared with the experimental data from the literature.

A simple high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to evaluate the quality of Moutan Cortex Radicis based on chromatographic fingerprints that characterize eight pharmacological compounds, namely, gallic acid, paeoniflorin, galloyl paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, quercetin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, paeoniflorigenone, and paeonol. These compounds were identified by their characteristic UV profiles and the mass spectroscopy data, and their contents were determined by HPLC. The chromatographic separation was performed on a $C_{18}$ column by gradient elution with 0.05% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. The methodological validation gave acceptable linearities (r = 0.9996) and recoveries (ranging from 99.4∼103.1%). The limits of detection (LOD) of these compounds ranged from 10 to 30 $\mu$g/mL. The representative chromatographic fingerprints of Moutan Cortex Radicis were obtained by analyzing 20 batches of samples collected from markets in Korea and China. For the efficient evaluation of quality for the commercial Moutan Cortex Radicis it is recommended that the total content of the six characteristic compounds should contain more than a minimum of 2% and that the content of total paeoniflorin and paeonol should exceed a minimum of 1.5% of dry weight of Moutan Cortex Radicis.

This paper demonstrates room temperature chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) for fabricating titania inverse opals. The colloidal crystals of monodisperse polymer latex spheres were used as a sacrificial template. Titania was deposited into the interstices between the colloidal spheres by altermate exposures to water and titanium tetrachloride (Ti$Cl_4$) vapors. The deposition was achieved under atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. Titania inverse opals were obtained by burning out the colloidal template at high temperatures. The filling fraction of titania was controlled by the number of deposition of Ti$Cl_4$ vapor. The morphology of inverse opals of titania were investigated. The optical reflection spectra revealed a photonic band gap and was used to estimate the refractive index of titania.

The clay-based Fe-bearing catalyst was successfully prepared through ion-exchange reaction and applied as heterogeneous catalyst for discoloration of acid fuchsine (AF) in an aqueous solution by Fenton-like reaction. Experimental results demonstrated that the AF discoloration ratios increased by increasing Fe-loaded clay dosage and initial $H_2O_2$ concentration, and by decreasing the pH, respectively. The lower the initial AF concentration, the shorter the reaction time needed to achieve complete discoloration of AF. Comparative studies indicated that AF discoloration ratios were much higher in presence of Fe-loaded clay and $H_2O_2$ than those in presence of $H_2O_2$, raw natural clay or Fe-loaded clay only and raw natural clay and $H_2O_2$ jointly. After AF discoloration, there existed no new phases in the clay samples detected by XRD and no change in the clay crystal morphology observed by SEM. A mechanism proposed suggested adsorption and Fenton-like reaction were responsible for discoloration of AF.

wet spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber precursors. The process variables chosen were treatment temperature, applied tension in stabilization process. The temperature profile of the stabilization was set on the basis of exothermic peaks of the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) result. Both tensile strength and modulus increased with holding at onset temperatures of the exothermic peaks for extended duration, and with a higher heating rate up to the onset temperatures at a given applied tension among the experimental conditions. The increase in load monotonously increased the tensile modulus, on the other hand, the tensile strength was maximum at the load of 15 mg/filament (T15). The load 20 mg/ filament (T20) was considered to be exceeded to form oriented crystalline structure, possibly introducing more defects in the fiber than under load of T15. The sample CP3-T15 O5 H30 showed the best tensile properties among the samples experimented whose tensile properties are compatible with the commercialized grade of general purpose carbon fibers even at low carbonization temperature such as $800\;{^{\circ}C}$ (the carbonization temperature in the commercial process. 1300∼$1500\;{^{\circ}C}$).

A new high-energy organic potassium salt, 2-(dinitromethylene)-1,3-diazepentane potassium salt K(DNDZ), was synthesized by reacting of 2-(dinitromethylene)-1,3-diazepentane (DNDZ) and potassium hydroxide. The thermal behavior and non-isothermal decomposition kinetics of K(DNDZ) were studied with DSC, TG/DTG methods. The kinetic equation is $\frac{d{\alpha}}{dT}$ = $\frac{10^{13.92}}{\beta}$3(1 - $\alpha$[-ln(1 - $\alpha$)]$^{\frac{2}{3}}$ exp(-1.52 ${\times}\;10^5$ / RT). The critical temperature of thermal explosion of K(DNDZ) is $208.63\;{^{\circ}C}$. The specific heat capacity of K(DNDZ) was determined with a micro-DSC method, and the molar heat capacity is 224.63 J $mol^{-1}\;K^{-1}$ at 298.15 K. Adiabatic time-to-explosion of K(DNDZ) obtained is 157.96 s.

Terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is applied in transmission to identify the five forms of modifications of furosemide and one commercial product from 0.3 THz to 1.6 THz at room temperature. The different absorption spectra of the different forms are sensitive to crystal structures. Density function theory (DFT) calculation was used to understand the vibrational modes of furosemide in the THz region. X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) was applied to confirm the different forms of modifications. The results demonstrate that THz-TDS is a potential analytical technique in investigating polymorphic forms in the pharmaceutical fields.

Six metal-free organic dyes having thiophene (1), benzene-thiophene (2), thiophene-benzene (3), thiophene-pyridine (4), thiophene-thiophene (5), and pyridine (6) linkers between 9,9-dimethylfluorenyl terminal group and $\alpha$-cyanoacrylic acid anchor were synthesized. Among them, organic dye 5 showed the longest ${\lambda}_{max}$ value (424 nm) in UV-Vis absorption spectrum, better incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE), highest short circuit photocurrent density ($J_{SC},\;9.33\;mA^2/cm^2$), and highest overall conversion efficiency ($\eta$, 3.91%).

Amorphous zinc phosphate nanospheres were prepared via a sonochemical route. Zinc phosphate nanospheres were uniform in shape with an average diameter of 210 nm. The average diameter of nanospheres could be controlled by changing the pH of a precursor solution. This sonochemical method is simple, facile, economical, and environmentally benign. Non-crystalline characteristics of as-prepared zinc phosphate nanospheres were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and FT-IR spectroscopy analyses. We believe this technique will be readily adopted in realizing other forms of zinc phosphate nanostructures.

A convenient route for the preparation of water soluble polythiophenes is described. Reactions involving highly active zinc metal show unique properties, viz. tolerance of the ester group and regioselectivity to the thiophene ring. Poly [3-(ethyl-n-alkanoate)thiophene-2,5-diyl]s, poly [3-(n-carboxyalkyl)thiophene-2,5-diyl]s, and poly [3-(potassium- n-alkanoate)thiophene-2,5-diyl]s were easily prepared by utilizing highly active zinc.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprint analysis, Principle Components Analysis (PCA), and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were introduced for quality assessment of Curcuma longa L. (C. longa). The GC-MS fingerprint method was developed and validated by analyzing 33 batches of samples of C. longa from different geographic locations. 18 chromatographic peaks were selected as characteristic peaks and their relative peak areas (RPA) were calculated for quantitative expression. Two principal components (PCs) were extracted by PCA. C. longa collected from Guizhou and Fujian were separated from other samples by PC1, capturing 71.83% of variance. While, PC2 contributed for their further separation, capturing 11.13% of variance. HCA confirmed the result of PCA analysis. Therefore, GC-MS fingerprint study with chemometric techniques provides a very flexible and reliable method for quality assessment of C. longa.

In present work an attempt was made to synthesize various analogues of levofloxacin by introducing new functionality at carboxylic group position via nucleophilic substitution reaction. For this purpose the carboxylic group at C-6 was esterified and later subjected to nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl carbon by various aromatic amines. Structure of the analogues was confirmed by different techniques i.e. IR, $^1H$ NMR and mass spectrometry. The antibacterial activity of the derivatives was also assessed and compared with the parent against a series of Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria. A synergistic as well as antagonistic behavior was observed in these derivatives. Additionally unlike levofloxacin, the derivatives were also found to modulate oxidative burst response of phagocytes exhibiting moderate to significant inhibitory activity.

By controlling the number of electrons transferred to the emitting layer, highly efficient three-wavelength WOLEDs were fabricated. Such WOLEDs are different from those made using simple stacking of RGB emitting layers in that the movement distribution of electrons transferred to emitting layer could be adjusted using the difference in LUMO energy level and that lights of all 3 wavelengths could be emitted through appropriate arrangement of RGB emitting layers. WOLED device with the structure of m-MTDTA (40 nm)/NPB (10 nm)/ Coumarin6 doped $Alq_3$ (3%) (8 nm)/ Rubrene doped NPB (5%) (15 nm)/NPB (2 nm)/ DPVBi (20 nm)/$Alq_3$ (20 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (200 nm) showed high luminance efficiency of 8.9 cd/A and color purity of (0.31, 0.40). In addition, WOLED device with the thickness of non-doped NPB layer increased from 2 nm to 3 nm to increase blue light emission showed a luminance efficiency of 7.6 cd/A and color purity of (0.28, 0.36).

A thiocyanate poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane electrode based on [1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane]dihalopalladium( II), [(dppe)$PdX_2$, X = Cl ($L^1$), X = I ($L^2$)] as active sensor has been developed. The diiodopalladium complex, [(dppe)$PdI_2](L^2$) displays an anti-Hofmeister selectivity sequence: $SCN^-\;>\;I^-\;>\;{ClO_4}^-\;>\;Sal^-\;>\;Br^-\;>\;{NO_2}^-\;>\;{HPO_4}^-\;>\;AcO^-\;>\;{NO_3}^-\;>\;{H_2PO_4}^-\;>\;{CO_3}^{2-}$. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response (-59.8 mV/decade) over a wide linear concentration range of thiocyanate ($(1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-1}\;to\;5.0\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ M), low detection limit ($(1.1\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ M), fast response $(t_{90%}$ = 24 s), and applicability over a wide pH range (3.5∼11). Addition of anionic sites, potassium tetrakis[p-chlorophenyl] borate (KTpClPB) is shown to improve potentiometric anion selectivity, suggesting that the palladium complex may operate as a partially charged carrier-type ionophore within the polymer membrane phase. The reaction mechanism is discussed with respect to UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy. Application of the electrode to the potentiometric titration of thiocyanate ion with silver nitrate is reported.

Depurination, the release of purine bases from nucleic acids by hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond, gives rise to alterations of the cell genome. Though cells have evolved mechanisms to repair these lesions, unrepaired apurinic sites have been shown to have two biological consequences: lethality and base substitution errors. 2-Bromopropane (2-BP) is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, dyes, and other organics. In addition, 2-BP has been used as a replacement for chloroflurocarbons and 1,1,1-trichloroethane as a cleaning solvent in electronics industry. However, 2-BP was found to cause reproductive and hematopoietic disorders in local workers exposed to it. Owing to the toxicity of 2-BP, there has been a tendency to use 1-BP as an alternative cleaning solvent to 2-BP. However, 1-BP has also been reported to be neurotoxic in rats. Though $N^7$-guanine adduct of 2-BP has been reported previously, massive depurination of the nucleosides and calf thymus DNA was observed in this study. We incubated the nucleosides (ddG, dG, guanosine, ddA, dA and adenosine) with excess amount 2-BP at the physiological condition (pH 7.4, $37\;{^{\circ}C}$), which were analyzed by HPLC and LC-MS/MS. In addition, the time and dose response relationship of depurination in nucleosides induced by 2-bromopropane at the physiological condition was investigated. Similarly, incubation of calf-thymus DNA with the excess amount 2-BP at the physiological condition was also performed. In addition, the time and dose response relationship of depurination in calf-thymus DNA induced by 2-BP at the physiological condition was investigated. Those results suggest that the toxic effect of 2-BP could be both from the depurination of nucleosides and DNA adduct formation.

Massive deadenylation of adenine based-nucleosides induced by halogenated alkanes at the physiological condition have been observed. For the study of deadenylation effects by the different substituents and/or functionality in halogenated alkanes, diverse kinds of halogenated alkanes were incubated with adenine based-nucleosides (ddA, dA and adenosine) for 48 h at the physiological condition (pH 7.4, $37\;{^{\circ}C}$), which were analyzed by HPLC and further confirmed by LC-MS. Among the sixteen different halogenated alkanes, we observed massive deadenylation of nucleosides by 2-bromo-2-methylpropane, 2,3-dibromopropene, 2-bromopropane, bromoethane and 2-iodopropane. The order of deadenylation rate was highest in 2-bromo-2-methylpropane followed by 2,3-dibromopropene, 2-bromopropane, bromoethane and 2-iodopropane. In addition, time and dose response relationship of deadenylation in adenine based-nucleosides induced by 2-bromo-2-methylpropane, 2,3-dibromopropene, 2-bromopropane, bromoethane and 2-iodopropane at the physiological condition were investigated. In addition, deadenylation of calf thymus DNA induced by halogenated alkanes was also investigated. These results suggest that the toxic effect of certain halogenated alkanes might be from the depurination of nucleosides.

Three heteroleptic ruthenium sensitizers, Ru(L)($L^1)(NCS)_2$ [L = 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine, Ru-T1: $L^1$ = (E)-2-(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl)acrylonitrile, Ru-T2: $L^2$ = (E)-3-(5'-hexyl-2,2'-bithiophen-5- yl)-2-(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)acrylonitrile, and Ru-T3: $L^3$ = (E)-3-(5"-hexyl-2,2':5',2"-terthiophen-5-yl)-2- (4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridin-4-yl)acrylonitrile)], were synthesized and used as photosensitizers in nanocrystalline dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The introduction of the 3-(5-hexyloligothiophen-5-yl)acrylonitrile group increased the conjugation length of the bipyridine donor ligand and thus improved their molar absorption coefficient and light harvesting efficiency. DSSCs with the configuration of Sn$O_2$: F/Ti$O_2$/ruthenium dye/liquid electrolyte/Pt devices were fabricated using these Ru-$T1{\sim}T3$ as a photosensitizers. Among the devices, the DSSCs composed of Ru-T2 exhibited highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.84% under AM 1.5 G illumination (100 mW/$cm^2$).

Ionic palladium(II) complex containing a long aliphatic chain, [(tmeda)$PdL]_2(PF_6)_4$ (tmeda = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine; L = decylmethylbis(m-pyridyl)silane) allowed to form a puckered submicrosphere morphology without any template or additive. The puckered spheres reversibly adsorb and desorb dioxane molecules. Coligand and cosolvent effects on the formation of submicrospherical morphology were observed.

Metallacyclodimers, [Ag(OTf)($L1)]_2$ and [Ag($L2)]_2(OTf)_2$ (L1 = 1,3-dibromo-2,2-bis[(isonicotinoyloxy)methyl] propane; L2 = 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-bis(isonicotinoyloxy)hexane) were constructed and characterized. The crystal structure of [Ag(OTf)($L1)]_2$ reveals a 32-membered cyclodimer, whereas that of [Ag($L2)]_2(OTf)_2$ shows a linked 34-membered cyclodimer chain via intercyclic argentophilic (Ag…Ag) interactions. [Ag(OTf)($(L1)]_2$ affords “intramolecular $\pi-\pi$ interaction cyclodimer” whereas [Ag($L2)]_2(OTf)_2$ produces a racemic mixture of “twisted cyclodimer”. Ring-conformation of the cyclodimers was affected via the competition of electrostatic interaction and argentophilic interaction.

As part of an effort to discover bioactive natural products from marine sources, we investigated the bioactive secondary metabolites from two marine isolates of the fungi, Trichoderma viride and Rhizopus stolonifer. Three cyclopentenones, myrothenones A (1) and B (2) and trichodenone A (3), were isolated from T. viride and two cyclopentenones, 2-bromomyrothenone B (4) and botrytinone (5), were isolated from R. stolonifer. The molecular structures and absolute stereochemistries of the cyclopentenones were determined from chemical and physicochemical evidence, including quantum chemistry calculations, X-ray analysis, and the circular dichroism (CD) exciton chirality method. Myrothenone A (1) displays tyrosinase inhibitory activity, with an I$C_{50}$ value of 6.6 ${\mu}M$, and is therefore more active than the positive control, kojic acid.

A series of N-arylsuccinanilic acids, N-arylsuccinimides, N-arylmaleanilic acids, and N-arylmaleimides was prepared and their NMR spectra were examined by correlating the $^1H\;and\;^{13}C$ chemical shift values with the corresponding Hammett $\sigma$ values. The carbonyl carbons of the amides show a normal correlation with $\sigma$ but those of the imides show an inverse correlation.

The current solid polymer electrolytes suffer from poor conductivity, low mechanical and electrochemical stability toward the lithium electrodes. To improve the performance of solid polymer electrolytes, the addition of nanoparticle fillers to the polymer electrolyte is being extensively investigated. In this paper, a brief review on the state of art of solid fillers for lithium battery electrolytes is presented.

We report Pt hexapod nanoparticles with $6.4\;{\sim}\;9.7$ nm in size by a polyol process in the presence of PVP as a stabilizer and additive as a kinetic controller. The structure and morphology of Pt nanostructures are confirmed by field-emission transmission electron microscopy. The morphological control over platinum nanoparticles is achieved by varying the amount of seeds in the polyol process, where platinum precursor is reduced by ethylene glycol to form Pt nanoparticle at $150\;{^{\circ}C}$. As volume ratio between precursor-solution and seed-solution is increased from 10 to 50, the shape of Pt nanostructures is evolved from small seeds to tripod and hexapod. In addition, the size-controlled platinum hexapod nanostructures are successfully obtained using seeding method.

A working electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells was fabricated using $TiO_2$ colloidal sol prepared from titanium isopropoxide used as a starting material by applying the sol-gel method. The effect of aging times and temperatures on physical and chemical properties of $TiO_2$ sol particles was systematically investigated. Results showed that the crystallinity and average particle size of $TiO_2$ colloidal sol can be successfully controlled by the adjustment of aging time and temperature. The conversion efficiency of the repetitive dry coating films fabricated using the dried $TiO_2$ colloidal sol particles and hydroxypropyl cellulose binder (15%) was 10.31% with a high transparency.

Three phenoxazine-based conjugated polymers, namely, the aryl substituted phenoxazine homopolymer (P1) as well as the dimeric phenoxazine-fluorene (P2) and phenoxazine-bithiophene (P3) copolymers, were synthesized via the Ni(0) mediated Yamamoto reaction and the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. The weight-averaged molecular weights ($M_w$) of P1, P2, and P3 were found to be 27,000, 22,000, and 15,000, respectively, and their polydispersity indices were 3.6, 1.8, and 2.1. All the polymers were soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, toluene, and so on. The UV-visible absorption maxima for P1, P2, and P3 in the film state were located at 421, 415 and 426 nm, respectively, and the ionization potentials of the polymers ranged between 4.90 and 5.12 eV. All the studied phenoxazine-based polymers exhibited amorphous behavior, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies. Thin film transistors were fabricated using the top-contact geometry. P1 showed much better thin-film-transistor performance than P2 or P3: A thin film of P1 gave a saturation mobility of 0.81 ${\times}\;10^{-3}\;cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ and an on/off ratio of about $10^2$.

The treatment of primary amines with amino acids as a CO source in the presence of polyaniline emeraldine salts bring about N-formylation to give the corresponding formamides. This route to N-formylation methodology of primary amine represents the first reported example of a CO-transfer via radical mechanism by highly nanoporous polyaniline emeraldine salts catalyst.

The tetrakis(thio)-substituted-1,4-benzoquinone products 4a-e, 6, 7, and the mono(alkoxy)-tris(thio)-substituted-1,4- benzoquinone products 5a-e and 8a-e were synthesized from the reactions of p-chloranil with some thiols and mixture of two different thiol compounds in alcohol in the presence of $Na_2CO_3$ at room temperature. The structures of the novel S,S,S,S- and S,S,S,O- substituted products, which were obtained by the reactions of p-chloranil as a starting compound with n-propanethiol, n-pentanethiol, n-decanethiol, n-dodecanethiol, 2-methyl-2-propanethiol, and mixture of n-decanethiol and n-cyclohexanethiol as S-nucleophiles, were characterized by spectroscopic methods.

A composite film of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/sol-gel-derived zinc oxide(ZnO)/Nafion has been utilized as an efficient immobilization matrix for the construction of a highly sensitive and stable tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) (Ru(${bpy)_3}^{2+})$ electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor. The electrochemical and ECL behaviors of Ru(${bpy)_3}^{2+})$ ion-exchanged into the composite film were strongly dependent upon the sol-gel preparation condition, the amount of MWCNT incorporated into the ZnO/Nafion composite film, and the buffer solution pH. The synergistic effect of MWCNTs and ZnO in the composite films increased not only the sensitivity but also the long-term stability of the ECL sensor. The present ECL sensor based on the MWCNT/ZnO/Nafion gave a linear response ($R^2$ = 0.999) for tripropylamine concentration from 500 nM to 1.0 mM with a remarkable detection limit (S/N = 3) of 15 nM. The present ECL sensor showed outstanding long-term stability (94% initial signal retained for 5 weeks). Since the present ECL sensor exhibits large response towards NADH, it could be applied as a transduction platform for the ECL biosensor in which the NADH is produced from the dehydrogenase-based enzymatic reaction in the presence of NA$D^+$ cofactor.

Second-order rate constants ($k_{HOO}$‒) have been measured spectrophotometrically for nucleophilic substitution reactions of Y-substituted phenyl benzenesulfonates (1a-g) with $HOO^-$ ion in $H_2O$ at $25.0\;{\pm}\;0.1\;{^{\circ}C}$. The Br$\phi$nsted-type plot is linear with ${\beta}_{lg}$ = ‒0.73. The Hammett plot correlated with with ${\sigma}^-$ constants results in much better linearity than ${\sigma}^o$ constants, indicating that expulsion of the leaving group occurs in the rate-determining step (RDS) either in a stepwise mechanism or in a concerted pathway. However, a stepwise mechanism in which departure of the leaving group occurs in the RDS has been excluded since $HOO^-$ ion is more basic and a poorer leaving group than the leaving Y-substituted phenoxide ions. Thus, the reactions of 1a-g with $HOO^-$ ion have been concluded to proceed through a concerted mechanism. The $\alpha$-nucleophile $HOO^-$ ion is more reactive than its reference nucleophile $OH^-$ ion although the former is ca. 4 p$K_a$ units less basic than the latter (i.e., the $\alpha$-effect). TS stabilization through intramolecular H-bonding interaction has been suggested to be irresponsible for the $\alpha$-effect shown by $HOO^-$ ion, since the magnitude of the $\alpha$-effect is independent of the electronic nature of substituent Y in the leaving group. GS destabilization through desolvation of $HOO^-$ ion has been concluded to be responsible for the $\alpha$-effect found in the this study.

Ten steroidal compounds as impurities in canrenone were isolated from the enriched mother liquor by using various chromatographic methods. Their structures were elucidated by spectrometric analysis, among which three new compounds were characterized as 3-(3-oxo-7$\alpha$-(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl-17$\beta$-hydroxy-4-androsten-17$\alpha$-yl) propionic acid $\gamma$-lactone (1), 3-(3-oxo-7$\alpha$-ethoxy-17$\beta$-hydroxy-4-androsten-17$\alpha$-yl) propionic acid $\gamma$-lactone (2) and 3-(3-oxo- 5$\beta$-propionic acid-$\gamma$-lactone-6$\beta$,17$\beta$-hydroxy-4-androstan-17$\alpha$-yl) propionic acid $\gamma$-lactone (3).

Second-order rate constants have been measured for two series of nucleophilic displacement reactions, i.e., reactions of 4-nitrophenyl benzoate with Z-substituted phenoxides and those of Y-substituted phenyl benzoates (1a-h) with 4-chlorophenoxide (4-ClPhO–) in 80 mol% $H_2O$/20 mol% DMSO at 25.0 ${\pm}\;0.1\;{^{\circ}C}$. The Br$\phi$nsted-type plot for reactions of 4-nitrophenyl benzoate with Z-substituted phenoxides exhibits an excellent linear correlation with ${\beta}_{nuc}$ = 0.72. Reactions of 1a-h with 4-chlorophenoxide result in also a linear Br$\phi$nsted-type plot with ${\beta}_{lg}$ = –0.62, a typical ${\beta}_{lg}$ value for a concerted mechanism. The Hammett plots correlated with ${\sigma}^o\;and\;{\sigma}^-$ constants show many scattered points for reactions of 1a-h with 4-chlorophenoxide. In contrast, the corresponding Yukawa-Tsuno plot exhibits an excellent linear correlation with $\rho_Y$ = 2.26 and r = 0.53, indicating that expulsion of the leaving group occurs at the rate-determining step (RDS) either in a concerted mechanism or in a stepwise pathway. However, a stepwise mechanism with leaving group departure being the RDS is excluded since the leaving Y-substituted phenoxide is less basic and a better nucleofuge than the incoming 4-ClPh$O^-$. Thus, the reactions have been concluded to proceed through a concerted mechanism, in which bond formation between the nucleophile and electrophilic center is more advanced than expulsion of the leaving group in the transition state on the basis of the magnitude of ${\beta}_{nuc}\;and\;{\beta}_{lg}$ values.

The specific rates of solvolysis of methyl fluoroformate have been measured at $40.0\;{^{\circ}C}$ in several hydroxylic solvents. Analysis with the extended Grunwald-Winstein equation leads to sensitivities toward changes in solvent nucleophilicity (l) of $1.33\;{\pm}\;0.10$ and toward changes in solvent ionizing power (m) $0.73\;{\pm}\;0.06$. For methanolysis, a solvent deuterium isotope effect of 3.98 is compatible with the incorporation of general-base catalysis into the substitution process. For four representative solvents, studies were made at several temperatures and activation parameters determined. These observations are also compared with those previously reported for alkyl halogenoformate esters and mechanistic conclusions are drawn.

Rates of solvolyses of 4-nitrophenyl phenyl thiophosphorochloridate (4-N$O_2$PhOP(S)(Cl)OPh, $\underline{1}$) in ethanol, methanol, and aqueous binary mixtures incorporating ethanol, methanol, acetone, and 2,2,2-trifluroethanol (TFE) are reported. Thermodynamic parameters were determined at several temperatures in three representative solvents. The extended Grunwald-Winstein equation was applied to 29 solvents and the correlation coefficient (R) showed 0.959. The sensitivities (l = 1.37 and m = 0.62) are similar to those obtained for diphenyl thiophosphorochloridate (($PhO)_2$PSCl, $\underline{2}$), diphenyl phosphorochloridate (($PhO)_2$POCl, $\underline{3}$), diphenyl phosphinic chloride ($Ph_2$POCl, $\underline{4}$), and diphenyl thiophosphinic chloride ($Ph_2$PSCl, $\underline{5}$). The solvolytic reaction mechanism of 4-nitrophenyl phenyl thiophosphorochloridate ($\underline{1}$) is suggested to be proceeded a $S_N$2 process as previously reported result. The activation enthalpies are shown as slightly low as ${\Delta}H^{\neq}\;=\;9.62\;to\;11.9\;kcal{\cdot}mol^{-1}$ and the activation entropies are shown as slightly high negative value as ${\Delta}S^{\neq}\;=\;-34.1\;to\;-44.9\;cal{\cdot}mol^{-1}{\cdot}K^{-1}$ compared to the expected $S_N$2 reaction mechanism. Kinetic solvent isotope effects are accord with a typical $S_N$2 mechanism as shown in the range of 2.41 in MeOH/ MeOD and 2.57 in $H_2O/D_2O$ solvent mixtures.

A simple and efficient method has been developed for Knoevenagel condensation between aldehydes or ketones and active methylene group by stirring in methylene chloride at 60 ${^{\circ}C}$ under heterogeneous conditions using silica supported ammonium acetate. The products are obtained in excellent yields and are in a state of high purity. The structures of the products were confirmed by IR, $^1H$ NMR and mass spectral data and comparison with authentic samples available commercially.